The weekly sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1886-1887, 1887-03-31
THE GERMAN woMANs KNITTING.

Where Knitting Needles Click PerpetuaIly
and the Stocking Is Immortal.
7 have Just returned from tour
through the provinces of Brandenburg
"a Silesia.
I, not propose to g We a narrative of
Ne impressions l have received on my
titp- Only one feature in my int ercourse
With the people OF the provincial towns
shall be mentioned that impressed itself
very forcibly upon my mind as being
CHARACTERISTIC of the German female.
Strangers who are adEnitted into the
houses OF German families cannot help
being puzzled at seeing every German
woma of all ranks, from ten years up
to eighty-make the unintermiL ting use
of her knitting needles the be-al and
end-al of her outdoor existence.
I say outdoor. advisedly; for within
cooking alternates with knitting In
the provinces you can hardly see fe-
male native unprovided with her ever
lasting strickzeng." At the beer gar
dons, at the cafes, at places of amuse-
ment, the fraus and frauleins knit and
knit. as IL their whole soul, like an Irish
woman's money, lay within a stocking
heel.
For 1t is none of your pretty, young
ladyike, fancy-hair looking fantasies
which those fine reSolute needles perpe-
trato. No, the works Of their points are
solid, uncompromising coverings for the
feet Of husband, brother, son and daugh-
ter.
The rise and progress of pair of Ger
man stockings, which took on several
occasions special pains to watch care
fully, strongly reminded me Of a certain
glass OF hot punch.
jolly old Irish farmer in western
New York, whom I well remember, was
wont to boast that he never on any occa-
sion drank more than one glass of punch
at one sitting. This was perfectly true,
but it was equally certain that he was
never known to go to bed sober.
The old gentleman, after supper, used
to manufacture a potent glass. After
slipping a few SpoonfulS he would COM
plain that it wanted sugar. A lump or
two were added. Then 1t was too sweet.
A somewhat too liberal infusion of pure
water REG uired second dose of whiskey.
Then little more sugar was added, and
SO on, until, under the delusive name o.!
ono glass, round dozen or SO had been
iLlbioed.
NoI, in a somewhat analogous manner
Is a German stocking pre- erved by its
thrif:y- owncr TO venerable OH age
Whom the foot, AFR careful mending
is irre.rieva5lJ gon :, new one is knit
on the upper plrt, and when this in it's
turn hocoEfns Superannuate1, u new leg
is joinct to the foot This operation
beine, Sc :al times repeated. the article
| in question enjoys an Immortality of
stoc.;ingloo1. although, like the frame
| whica II helps to cover, its substance is
perit2 :ia.iE- rem owed.
| The Gerrnan ladies hold in high con-
| tempt all feflalH, unshilled in this par
| tictlar branch of industry.
Even III public P, t"''s where ladies at
tent, they seldom &, unprovided with
| the indefati able nee"cs, which seem to
| fill up every unoccupied moment of wait
! ing
One advantage, or disadvantage, as
the case may be. of this mechanical in.
Gus:ry is the free license which it per.
mis- to the exercise of the tongues
privilege BY no means neglected by either
frau or Ji-a,tlein.
remember once to have heard Coney
Island described by an eccentric tour1s
as the "sea-bathingest and whiskey
drinkingest place he had ever visited
With quail truth might almost airy pr,
v;ncial town in Germany be described 6
one of the knittingesL and smokinge
places in the world. "-[New York Sun.